lab coats and pencils
by meggie272
Summary: A scientist and his student, passing the time with research and innuendo. Short fluffy snippets of Zero and Newton's life together, pre Giratina movie. Antipodeanshipping. T, but nothing explicit.


**This is already on deviantArt, but what the heck, my profile needs something other than Discworld.**

**SO, shounen-ai/slash/yaoi/guylove/whatever here. Nothing explicit, no making out or buttsex (damn, you say), but if you're offended don't read.**

**This is coz Antipodeanshipping needs more love. I couldn't stomach the drama that I'd have to write about after Zero goes insane and tries to kill everyone, so you get various stages of Newton and Zero's relationship before all that happened - when they were studying in their laboratory thing. Ho yay ftw!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own these guys, they belong to Pokemon/Nintendo. **

**~lab coats and pencils~**

**1. Hair**  
Newton propped his chin in his hand and watched his student working. He was slowly getting to know him over time – a quiet, reserved young man that came alive when talking about possibilities.

He was wearing a lab coat and an intense expression of concentration, silver hair falling in front of angular golden eyes.

His hair…

It was pretty weird.

"Why do you always do your hair like that?" Newton asked, tapping at the keyboard so it wasn't obvious he had been staring.

"Mmh?"

"It must take a while and it's not very practical."

"Oh, it does the flippy thing on its own," Zero murmured. He was never one for conversation, especially when he was working.

"But it's always in your eyes."

"Well, don't your sideburns ever get in the way?" he said, a tad irritably.

"Hey, don't take that tone! I was just wondering."

The boy sighed. "Sorry. I'm sorry, master." He looked up and smiled a little. "I'm just tired."

"And no wonder. You're working on…what…two hours sleep? Go home."

"Fifteen more minutes, sir."

The scientist laughed. He had a feeling he was going to like this guy, even with his intense workaholic attitude.

_I hope he sticks around,_ he thought to himself.

**2. Want**  
"This is amazing. Where do you get these ideas? What are you taking? I'd like some of it," Newton murmured, looking through the diagrams, every careful pencil line accurate and meticulous.

Zero shrugged. "No medication involved."

"What is it then?"

"I just know what I want, master. And then I get it."

That might have been creepy on anyone else's lips, but with his fluffy silver hair and pencil stuck behind one ear, the young man didn't seem threatening at all.

"What else do you want, Zero?"

Their eyes met, somewhat awkwardly.

"I want…"

"Yes?"

"I _want…"_ Almost a whisper...

"…yes?"

Zero looked down, blushing. "Right now, I really want a coffee and something to eat. I'd better be going."

"Right. Bye," said Newton weakly.

**3. Y Chromosomes**  
"What is your problem, Zero? Just be honest with me, OK?" Newton snapped.

"Well, you see," Zero said, staring off into the middle distance.

He stopped.

"Keep talking," Newton said angrily. "I want to know why your work has been terrible when I'm used to such a high standard from you and why you've been acting so…weird lately. Distracted. Skittish. We are two adult men working together on matters of great importance, we don't have time for this kind of thing."

Zero looked hurt, and Newton sighed.

"Look, if you have a problem, you know I'll listen. You can trust me."

"The problem is…"

"is…"

"Your Y chromosomes," Zero said quietly.

"What?"

"Your _perfect_ y chromosomes," he added dramatically.

"…WHAT."

"Sorry, master."

**4. Distractions**  
"That's distracting."

"How distracting?"

"Very. Stop that."

"Sorry, master."

"I'll have you know that I am an extremely important scientist and I cannot have my attention diverted…nrgh! You're doing it again! Have you been drinking?"

**(A/N: I would like people to know that this can be interpreted any way you like. I know how you WILL interpret it, but whatever. For all you know, Zero could be juggling or something while wearing a skirt in the corner. You can't say that wouldn't distract you from doing scientisty things.)**

**5. In Love?**  
Zero looked up from his notes at the sound of doors sliding open. Newton was entering the laboratory, chirpy as he usually was after the morning coffee.

"Morning," said the scientist.

Zero rolled his eyes at the smile his master had on his face. It was a smile of the annoyingly misty and stupid variety, the kind that was embarrassingly honest about its true meaning. It must have been the caffeine.

"There's a word for what we are, you know," he said evenly, going back to his writing.

Newton tweaked the perfectly styled silver fringe of his student as he went past. "In love?" he suggested.

"That's two words," Zero said grumpily. "I was thinking of something shorter and more derogatory."

Newton just laughed at him.

"Insubordinate child."

"Who, me?"

**6. Suit**  
Zero's pencil skated over the paper, outlining something that wasn't a formula or an equation.

Newton leant over his shoulder to have a look.

Zero moved the paper away as soon as he realised Newton was there, but the ginger-haired man had already seen it.

"Going into fashion design now, Zero?"

He shrugged. "Just scribbling," he mumbled.

"Might be a bit difficult to get in and out of," he commented. "Hey…that looks like…"

He pulled back and looked at Zero. He was blushing, just slightly.

"You made a Giratina suit?"

"I didn't…it's not a Giratina suit," he said defensively.

"You're not becoming _obsessed_ or anything, are you?"

"Master, it's all we've been working on and studying for months. Forgive me if it's on my thoughts a little."

"I suppose…Zero…about the Giratina project…" Newton rubbed his eyes tiredly. His conscience was starting to nag at him about the whole business. But Zero was so keen…

"Yes? Is there a problem?"

He sighed. "No. No problem."

He rubbed Zero's shoulder affectionately before turning away. _This could get messy._

**7. Foreboding**  
I don't like the look in his eyes lately.

Normally I like everything about him, but I know he has…slightly worrying…tendencies.

And when I announced the termination of the Giratina project, he was so angry…

I've been starting to wonder about my Zero.

I have the feeling that everything is changing, or about to change.

I don't want to lose him.

But I'm not going to go through with something that goes against every single one of my morals. Not even for him.

I'm probably being too dramatic, and quite cliched as well. Maybe this will blow over, like a brief thunderstorm.

Maybe. Who knows?


End file.
